Hyper-cross-linked polymers based on triphenylsilane for hydrogen storage and water treatment

The present research focuses on the synthesis and applications of a series of hyper-cross-linked polymer networks obtained from the one-step Friedel–Crafts reaction of triphenylsilane and formaldehyde dimethyl acetal. The materials were characterized through FTIR, 13C NMR, PXRD, TGA, N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, H2 sorption and dye adsorption. These materials exhibited increased surface areas of approximately 441–1101 m2 g−1 with increasing ratio of monomer to cross-linker. The H2 storage capacity of the polymer networks reached 1.19 wt % (5.96 mmol g−1) under 1.03 bar and 77.3 K. In addition, the material showed excellent adsorption capacity of 806 mg g−1 for Congo Red and retained their adsorption capacity after recycling nine times. Taken together, the results demonstrate that the obtained hyper-cross-linked polymers could be applied to H2 storage and water treatment.